Dell, addendum

One important thing that may not have gotten across in my story: while this means that WPP, through its new agency, will receive those $4.5 billion in billings (over three years), Dell marketing executives said they expect for the company to still work with a number of outside, niche agencies going forward. The difference is that the responsibility for organizing, paying, and, I believe, selecting those agencies will be handled by WPP. Dell might say, "We need a multicultural agency for this upcoming campaign, and Da Vinci (or whatever it becomes) doesn't have a strong enough capability in that area." Now, theoretically, they could select any agency to work on the account, but WPP might be inclined to reach for a niche agency in its structure. There are obviously a lot of things to watch.